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Facing the biggest public relations crisis since becoming mayor, Jeri Muoio has promoted her public relations chief.

Elliot Cohen, who has handled the city’s public response in the Digital Domain fiasco, has been promoted to communications director. Cohen said his salary will rise from $78,245 to $90,000 in November and $94,500 in May.

While city employees have not received raises in several years, Cohen said he is receiving a $16,000 raise because the communications director position is a new position with added responsibility. He said the city will not hire an additional spokesman.

According to a press release on the South Florida Public Relations Network, Cohen will oversee social media, electronic and print communications “to promote, enhance and protect the city’s brand reputation.”

Cohen will also serve as “chief counsel to mayor and all city leadership on all communications issues.”

Cohen said Monday that his job will include overseeing the TV’s in-house station, which previously was the responsibility of Neil Melick. Melick, an assistant to the city administrator, was laid off earlier this year.

Cohen returned to the city in May after a brief stint as public information officer in 2005 under former mayor Lois Frankel.

Cohen recently has created a “virtual newsroom” on the city website, wpb.org, where he posts news releases with information that the city wants released under headlines such as “FSU film school classes CONTINUE – Don’t let news reports confuse you,” and “Did you catch Mayor Muoio during her Twitter ‘town hall’?”

Cohen also has launched “Project Open Access,” a series of town hall meetings, coffee shop chats and Twitter conversations with Mayor Jeri Muoio.